Growing Up
by cookiemonster8830
Summary: Modern AU. Anna is the new student at Eastwood High, and she is surprised to discover that High School is a lot harder that she thought. But with friends like Punzie, Henry (Hiccup), Elsa, Jack, Merida and many others, will she get her happy ending after all? A lot of ships within the whole story, may include OC's, rated T cause I'm unpredictable.
1. Chapter 1

_Growing Up_

_Chapter 1__ : __A Fresh Start_

_Anna's POV_

"Anna! Get up! You're gonna be late!"

My head shot up and I looked around, trying to get used to the sudden brightness. I yawned and rubbed my eyes before getting out my bed to get ready for my first day at a new school.

Okay, so here's my life story:

I was born in Seattle, Washington. I lived with my parents and my older sister, Elsa. Everything was perfect, until my mom and dad died in a car crash when I was 15 and Elsa was 18. We were sent to Brooklyn, New York to live with our cousin Rapunzel and her parents. It was pretty hard, considering we were used to Seattle's weather and culture, not Brooklyn's. It took about 6 months to get used to being in another state, and the rest to get used to living with Rapunzel and her family.

For that year, I hadn't been going to school (Elsa had already finished before the crash), but thankfully, Punzie's mom was a teacher, so she home schooled me. Once she thought I was 'ready to go to a proper school', she had arranged that I start attending Eastwood High. It was the first term of a new year, so luckily I wouldn't be the only new student. I was going to be a junior, along with Punzie.

I stretched my arms before heading to my bathroom and quickly brushing my teeth and hair. Then I walked to my closet – while trying to avoid all the piles of clothes on the floor – and opened it.

I decided on a violet ballerina skirt, a navy blue blouse, knee – length white socks and chocolate ankle boots. I sat by my vanity table and applied a small amount of make – up before taking my strawberry blonde hair and putting it into two high pigtail buns, leaving two strands to frame my face.

I grabbed my over – sized beige cardigan and put it on before taking my brown leather sling bag and making sure everything I needed was in it. Books, stationery, bubble gum, lip-gloss, emergency make – up kit, journal and some extra money. I sighed in relief and grabbed my BlackBerry Z10 off my bedside table. I looked at myself in the mirror and I had to say, I looked pretty damn cute.

_Hopefully the boys will think so too,_ I thought to myself. I smiled and let out a soft squeal before heading out my door. I walked over to Elsa's door and knocked on it gently.

"Elsa?" I whispered. "Can I come in?" I heard a mumble, so I slowly twisted the knob and opened her door, only to find her sleeping peacefully. I shook my head and walked over to her. She was so adorable when she was sleeping. I sat beside her and gave her a hug, making sure I didn't wake her up.

"Wish me luck." I whispered into her ear before getting up and walking out.

"Good luck." I heard her mumble before I closed the door behind me. I smiled and headed downstairs.

Rapunzel was sitting at the table, surrounded by sketches. She seemed super concentrated until I cleared my throat and giggled. Her head shot up and she looked at me angrily, but she quickly smiled and giggled too.

"Morning." She said happily.

"Morning. Busy as usual, I see." I teased, and she stuck her tongue out at me. I returned the gesture before opening the fridge and getting orange juice. I took a class cup from the cabinet and poured the juice into it before taking a sip. I cringed and spat it into the sink.

"What's wrong?" Punzie asked, shooting up from her chair. I wiped my mouth and looked at her.

"Never drink orange juice after brushing your teeth." I laughed and she rolled her eyes. I took another sip of my juice, and luckily I was used to the taste.

"You should've seen your face! It was hilarious!" I said, mocking her worried face. She shot me a glare and walked to the fruit bowl, grabbing a banana.

"It's not funny. You could've been choking or something." She said, acting serious. I laughed more, and I could see she was having a hard time trying not to join me.

"You know you love me." I said and gave her a hug. She giggled and pushed me away playfully.

"You look so pretty!" She commented, making me blush.

"Thank you. I wanted to make a good first impression." I said, referring to my first day at a new school. She smiled sweetly and hugged me.

"Don't be nervous, Anna. You'll do fine." She whispered, and I hugged her tightly.

"You look beautiful, Punzie." I complemented once we pulled away, finally getting a proper look at her outfit.

She was wearing a black sweater decorated with daisies, high – waisted grey skinny jeans and cream lace flats. Her bright golden blonde hair – which reached her lower back – was tied in a fishtail plait and she had a small amount of make – up on.

She gave me a thankful smile and grabbed her backpack, which was originally plain white, but she doodled on it with different colored sharpies.

"Time to go. You ready?" She asked, looking at me with reassuring eyes. I smiled and took a deep breath.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

We opened the door to the garage, and waiting for us, was Rapunzel's Mercedes Benz E Class. It was a gift for her Sweet 16th last year. Once we had gotten in and strapped up, Rapunzel started the ignition.

"I can't believe I _finally _get to drive this thing!" She exclaimed, turning the radio on. "At least a year of driving tests paid off!" I smiled at her excitement and looked out the window. It was early September, so it was getting cooler as the month went on. Suddenly, _Tennis Court _by Lordecame on.

"Oh! I love this song!" I squealed, reaching to turn it louder. When the first few lines came on, Punz and I started singing along.

_Don't you think that it's boring how people talk  
>Making smart with their words again, well I'm bored<br>Because I'm doing this for the thrill of it, killin' it  
>Never not chasing a million things I want<br>And I am only as young as the minute is full of it  
>Getting pumped up on the little bright things I bought<br>But I know they'll never own me  
>Yeah<em>

_Baby be the class clown  
>I'll be the beauty queen in tears<br>It's a new art form showing people how little we care (yeah)  
>We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fear<br>Let's go down to the tennis court, and talk it up like yeah (yeah)_

We both stopped singing when we saw Eastwood High coming into view. From what I could see, it was fairly big. I gulped and sunk down into the leather seat, feeling butterflies in my stomach. Punzie must've noticed because she took my hand and squeezed it gently, a sign of reassurance we used to comfort one another.

"It'll be okay, Anna. I'll be with you the whole time." She said softly, still holding my hand. I took in another deep breath and sat up straight, holding my head high.

"I can do this." I said proudly, making her smile. I smiled too and turned the radio louder. _Shake It Off _by Taylor Swift was playing, and I felt as if the DJ knew exactly what I was going through because the song summed up my feelings perfectly. I sang along to the one verse that was my favorite out of the whole song.

_But I keep cruising  
>Can't stop, won't stop moving<br>It's like I got this music  
>In my mind<br>Saying, "It's gonna be alright."_

We parked in an open parking spot under a tree, so that maybe if it got hot (which we seriously doubted) at least the car wouldn't get the sun. I stepped out into the crisp pre – autumn air, looking around at the other students. They ranged from tall to short, thin to thick, emo to hippie and nerds to jocks. But one person caught my eye…

He had messy brown hair and bright green eyes. He was tall and lean with an average build. He wore a black leather jacket, a white shirt with a skull on it, grey jeans and untied black army boots. He had two ear piercings on one ear, making seem him even hotter in my eyes. He had this 'bad – boy' vibe, which I didn't really mind.

"Have you got everything?" Punzie asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, yeah, um, yeah I've got what I need..." I said, still staring at the hot guy. Punz must've seen who I was staring at because she chuckled and pinched my arm.

"Ow!" I yelped in pain. "What was that for?!" I said angrily, rubbing the sore spot on my arm.

"To wake you up from your dream." She said sarcastically, locking the car and walking away. I rolled my eyes and quickly caught up to her.

"Do you know him?" I asked, trying to find his face in the crowd. She shook her head.

"No, I don't. But hey, maybe he's a junior too. And maybe he's in your classes." She said, winking at me. I rolled my eyes again and adjusted my sling bag onto my shoulder. We walked on the cobblestone pathway that led to the main entrance. As I was walking up the stairs, I looked up and read in huge bold letters:

**Eastwood High**

**Founded May 11, 1993**

"**We'll soar on Eagles wings."**

_Well, here goes nothing…_ I thought as I followed Punz through the doors. My whole body was shaking and I felt light – headed, but I told myself to keep going. I wasn't going be labeled as a chicken on the first day.

The lockers were in order from freshman to seniors, so our lockers were at the near end of the hallway. I reached into my bag and pulled out the welcome letter I had received after I was accepted. I flipped through the pages until I landed on the one with my locker number and combination on it.

"Locker number…. 7384…" I said to myself as I searched for my locker. I walked up to a boy and taped him on the shoulder.

"Hi, I'm really sorry to bother you, I was just wondering if you knew where locker 7384 was?" I asked, but felt my breath hitch in my throat when the boy turned around.

He had fair skin and a light dusting of freckles across his nose. His hair was auburn and he had bright green eyes. He was wearing a black blazer over a light blue shirt, grey jeans and black army boots.

"Hey. Are you new?" He asked, and I blushed.

"Uh, um, yeah, uh, yeah, um, I'm, ne – new, yeah…" I stuttered, still captivated by his green eyes. He chuckled and smiled.

"What's your name?"

"I'm, uh, my name is, uh, Anna… my name is Anna..." I tried to smile but I couldn't.

"Anna… what a pretty name…" He smiled again and I felt it get a whole lot hotter. "So, you wanted help with your locker?"

I nodded, unable to speak. He chucked again and took the letter from my hands.

"Locker number 7384... Ah! You're in luck! You're locker is right next to mine." He took my hand and led me towards my locker, which was about 4 lockers from the end. "And here you go, locker sweet locker."

I smiled and looked down, noticing that he was still holding my hand. I quickly pulled away and looked down, still red as a tomato.

"Uh, tha – thanks, I appre – appreciate it." I mumbled, finally looking up to meet his gaze. He ruffled his hair with his hand and leaned in.

"Anytime. I'm Hans, by the way." He winked flirtatiously and walked away, leaving me to fangirl by myself.

_Jack's POV_

I walked through the endless hallways, trying to find my locker. I looked around and I had to say, there were a lot of hot girl juniors this year. But the one that caught my eye was standing by her locker, smiling.

She had long golden blonde hair that was tied into a fishtail plait, and her eyes were bright green. She had a dusting of freckles on her cheeks and her lips were pink in color. She was wearing a black sweater with daisies printed on it and grey skinny jeans. She also had a feather necklace and flats on.

"You know, staring is rude." A voice said behind me, making me snap out of my thoughts. I turned around and saw Henry standing with a smug look on his face.

"You're just jealous that I actually stare at girls." I said, making him shoot me a glare and chuckle.

"I'll have you know I do stare at girls, just not in the weird perverted way you do." He retaliated, making me raise my hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay, you got me." He chuckled before giving me a friendly 'hello' handshake (you know, what us guys do instead of hugging).

"It's great to see you man." He said, patting him on the shoulder. "How was your summer?"

"It was awesome man! I swear I got invited to every party on the block!" I exclaimed proudly. He rolled my eyes and walked to his locker. The first bell rang and everyone started walking to their classes.

"What's your first class?" He asked me, and I looked at my schedule.

"Uh, Science. You?"

"Bummer. I have Maths."

"Damn. Well, see you at lunch." I said, grabbing my things. He turned and walked towards the Math classroom while I went in the opposite direction to the Science Lab.

While I was walking, I couldn't stop thinking of the girl I saw earlier. _I mean, nice body, blonde hair and bright eyes… how could she get any hotter?_

"Watch out!" Was the last thing I heard before being knocked to the ground. I groaned and opened my eyes, only to stare back into olive green ones. The girl blushed and quickly got off me, stumbling as she did.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She asked, reaching her hand out to help me up. I politely declined her offer and got up myself, dusting some dirt off my jeans.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry 'bout it." I said, offering her a warm smile. She blushed harder and looked down, while I took a better look at her.

She had pure black hair that was tied in a side pony, and she had a loose strand covering her right eye. She was kinda short, but she was skinny. She was wearing a loose grey tank top and a deep red skirt. She had black tights on and was wearing red flats that matched her skirt. She was pretty cute.

"Well, I better go. But it was nice bumping into you, literally." She said, giving me a playful smile. I returned it and bent down to pick my stuff up. "My name's Heather, by the way." I stood back up and nodded.

"I'm Jack." I said, giving her my hand to shake.

"Well, nice to meet you, Jack." She said and shook my hand before running off. I smiled at her shyness and walked to Science.

_Merida's POV_

I was sitting in Science, trying not to fall asleep. The professor, Mr. Black, was going talking about how different chemicals reacted to each other, and I could honestly care less. I looked around to see if anyone was actually paying attention, and to my surprise, the girl sitting next to me was. She looked like an A+ student though, with her preppy clothes and perfect blonde hair. I rolled my eyes and groaned.

"Is something wrong, Ms. DunBroch?" Mr. Black asked, and everyone laid their eyes on me.

"Yeah, there is actually." I said fiercely, causing a few students to gasp.

"Well, what is it?" He asked again, but his voice was sterner.

"Who's someone who keeps talking while no one's interested?" I asked, and he looked surprised.

"I don't know. Who?"

"You." I smirked and leaned back into my chair while all the students shouted "BURN!"

"Ms. DunBroch! I will not tolerate that kind of attitude in my class! You just bought yourself a ticket to detention this afternoon." He yelled, filling in a detention slip and slapping it down on my desk. "Now, go to the Principal's office for the rest of this lesson."

"Gladly." I replied coldly as I stood up and collected my things. I walked to the door and opened it before saluting to the class and shouting "Hasta la vista!"

_Rapunzel's POV_

I couldn't believe that girl just insulted Mr. Black like that… and what was even worse was that she didn't even care about getting into trouble! I would've been scared to death if that happened to me, considering I had an academic scholarship at Eastwood and I didn't want anything threatening it.

"I apologize for Merida's _foul _behavior this morning. Now let's get back to the chemicals!" Mr. Black exclaimed, making half the class moan. I, on the other hand, smiled happily and got ready to take down notes.

"So, as I was saying, there are two parts of a solution, the solvent and the solutes. The _solvent_ is what we call the major component and a _solvent_ is one of the minor components. Solutions can be made between many phases of matter. For example, salt water is –" The door swung open, and my attention snapped to the person standing in the doorframe.

He had pale skin, but piercing blue eyes. His hair was platinum (almost white) blonde and he had a lip stud. He was wearing a classic leather jacket, white t – shirt, denim jeans and black converse. He looked at me and smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth. I blushed and looked away, pretending to write something on my notepad.

"Mr. Overland, late on the first day." Mr. Black said coldly, crossing his arms over his chest.

_Shame, the poor guy, interrupted twice in one day… _

"I'm sorry sir, I was just helping one of the new students find their way to English." The boy said, and I couldn't help but feel he was lying. I looked at Mr. Black, expecting him to have a fit and send another student to the Principal's office, but surprisingly, he just nodded.

"Alright, I'll take your word, but this is your first warning." He said. "Now take a seat." The boy smiled and walked over to where I was sitting. I held my breath as he sat next to me, pulling his book out his bag.

"Someone's already sitting there…" I whispered, not wanting to get in trouble. He just smirked and nodded his head.

"Yeah, and that someone's me." He said, and I looked around nervously.

"But what if she comes back, she'll have a fit if she finds you sitting –" I said before the kid in front of me turned around and looked at me angrily, suggesting I keep quiet. I muttered an apology and looked down before returning to my notes.

_Henry's POV_

I walked into Maths and searched for an empty seat. Everyone was huddled in their groups, talking about God knows what. Well, everyone except one girl. She was sitting at her desk, reading a book peacefully. I walked over to her and stood by her desk.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" I asked, gesturing to the empty seat next to her. She looked up from her book, and I felt my heart beat a little faster.

_She was drop dead gorgeous. _

"Uh, no, it's not taken." She said nervously, and I sunk into the chair. She looked at me and I smiled, making her blush and continue reading. I leaned forward to see what book she was reading.

"The Fault in Our Stars, eh?" I questioned, and she smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm a fangirl. It's a really good book, though." She said, admiring the cover.

"Yeah I know. I've actually read it." I said, and she looked at me as if I was an alien.

"_Seriously?_ You? You read this book?" She asked, and I pretended to be hurt.

"You don't see me as the guy who would curl up by the fire and read a good book?" I joked, and she giggled.

"I'm sorry, of course you're that guy." She said sarcastically, and it was my turn to laugh.

"I'm Henry. Henry Haddock." I said, offering her my hand. She smiled and gladly shook it.

"I'm Anna. Anna Winters." I smiled and let go of her hand. The door swung open and a tall man walked in. Anna quickly placed her bookmark into her book and closed it, setting it on the table.

"Good morning students. Welcome to Junior Mathematics. I'm Mr. Bunnymund, but you can call me Aster if you want to. And before I hear your snide little comments, yes, I'm not American. I come from down under, better known as Australia." He said in a very thick Australian accent, making some students laugh. I rolled my eyes at how immature they were and reached into my bag, getting my textbook and pencil case.

"So this term we're starting with Trigonometry. Can anyone please briefly explain what that is?" Many hands shot up at his question, including Anna's. "Uh, yes, Ms. Winters?"

"It's the branch of mathematics dealing with the relations of the sides and angles of triangles and with the relevant functions of any angles." She said, and Mr. Bunnymund nodded.

"That's correct. Well done." He smiled at her and she blushed.

_Geez… smart and beautiful… she's got it going for her…_

"Let me guess, you're an A+ student?" I whispered, and she looked at me with a smug smile.

"I thought you would never ask." She whispered back before returning her attention to the board and writing down the formula for measuring triangles. I smiled and tore a small piece of paper off my notebook. I could feel her staring at me, obviously curious. I folded it up and passed it to her.

_Anna's POV_

Henry passed me the note and on the front it said:

_don't open until after class… _

I looked at him and he just smirked and shrugged, continuing to write notes on his notebook. I looked at the clock. It was only 8:45… Class ended at 9:40…

_This is gonna be a LONG day…_


	2. Update

**Update: **

**Hey everyone! I forgot to add an A/N to the first chapter, so here it is! I just wanted to clarify a few things:**

**I gave Hiccup the name Henry, because I want this fanfic to be as realistic as possible. And seriously, do you think you'll ever meet a boy named Hiccup in the modern world? I was going to name him Harry, but I decided against it.**

**There are going to be A LOT OF different ships, and some might not be your favorite, but that doesn't give you the right to hate. It's my story and I will write what I WANT TO. **

**I pushed back the teen's ages because it needed to fit into High School. I know I could have just done a College/University fic, but I didn't. So, all the teens are 17. **

**There WILL be religious slurs, such as "Oh my God!" and "Jesus Christ!" and apologize if that offends you. Please don't hate or leave rude comments/reviews because of that. **

**Minor swearing might be included, but that's what teenagers do! **

**I rated this fic T because it's suitable for ages ± 14 and up. I didn't want it to be rated M because it doesn't look right and there will be no lemon/strong violence/strong swearing.**

**And last but not least, I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS USED IN THIS STORY. They belong to DreamWorks, Disney and Pixar. **

**Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to follow, fav and review!**


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

_Merida's POV_

I sat in Reception, my hands crossed over my chest in frustration.

_This isn't fair… Just because that old prick Mr. Black can't take a joke, I get punished? Well, at least I'm missing two periods of Chemistry. _

"Ms. DunBroch?" A voice asked, making me turn my head in their direction. The receptionist, Maudie, was staring at me with her green eyes.

"That's me, live in the flesh." She rolled her eyes and pointed towards the Principals office.

"Principal North will see you now." She said coldly before returning to her paperwork. I grabbed my bag and walked towards the wooden door with the words PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE printed in bold gold letters on the front. I twisted the knob and opened it slowly, peeking inside.

"Ms. DunBroch, what a surprise!" He said sarcastically in his thick Russian accent, and I sunk down into the chair in front of his huge desk. "I hear you've been causing chaos in your Chemistry class. Care to explain?"

"It's not my fault some teachers can't take a joke." I said, crossing my arms over my chest again.

"Or maybe it's just you who can't be serious." I felt slightly hurt at his comment, but I just brushed it off. "Merida, I understand your personal life is complicated, but that doesn't give you the right to –" I stood up fiercely, cutting him off.

"_Excuse me?_ How dare you speak about my personal life as if you know anything about it?!" I screamed before grabbing my bag and storming out his office. I ran through the hallways, ignoring anyone who tried calming me down.

_That ass! He doesn't have any right to tell me what to do. He doesn't know anything! No one does!_

I ended up in the gym, panting heavily. I looked around for anything I could punch or hit, and I thanked the heavens when I saw a punching bag hanging in the corner. I ran up to it and attacked it, throwing a punch every second.

"No one knows anything! They don't feel the pain I do! Their all so clueless!" I yelled as I kept going at the punching bag, feeling my hands go numb. I stopped and looked down at my hands. They were red and swollen.

_Great, just great… _

"I'm glad you stopped." I voice said behind me, making me jump. I swung around and saw a boy with platinum (almost white) blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like a bad boy with his lip stud and leather jacket.

_Had he been standing there the whole time? Had he heard everything I said? _I felt my cheeks go red in embarrassment and stared at him.

"How – how long have you been standing there?" I asked nervously. He chuckled and bit his lip.

"Long enough to know you pack a mean punch." He said, gesturing to the beaten up punching bag. I blushed harder and tried running past him but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Whoa whoa, calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna know what the hell just happened to make you come here and kill a punching bag!" I pulled my arm out of his grasp and looked around.

"Why do you care?" I asked bitterly, rubbing my numb hands.

"Because I know what it's like wanting to punch everything you see. And my friends helped me get through it."

"What makes you think we're _friends_?"

"The fact that we're both standing here right now, skipping class and talking about punching. You don't just do that with anyone, do you?" He joked, raising a playful eyebrow. I rolled my eyes and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, if you must know, I just had a bad visit with the Principal. He said some things, I said some things, and next thing I know, I'm here, killing a punching bag." I said, glad to get it off my chest. I looked up at him and he smiled, patting me on the back.

"Look at us, sharing out secrets and everything. And you tell me we're not friends." He teased, making us both laugh. I smiled and looked up at him.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Being a good _friend_." The words tasted so weird coming out my mouth, considering I had never really had friends before.

"You're welcome, _friend_." He replied, smiling slightly.

"How 'bout we learn each other's name before we get sick of calling each other 'friend'?" I suggested, and he held out his hand.

"Jack Overland." He said with a smile, and I noticed how perfect his teeth were.

"Merida DunBroch." I said and shook his hand firmly, my eyes still fixed on his beautiful teeth. I had only just noticed how attractive he was, his eyes the perfect shade of blue and his features defined perfectly.

"Is something… wrong?" He asked, and I realized that I must've been staring at him the whole time. I blushed and awkwardly took a step back.

"Uh no! Nothing – nothing's um, wrong… It's just, your teeth are so… white…" I said, and he chuckled again.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Just because I have this thing –" He said, gesturing to his lip stud, "– doesn't mean I can't have proper dental care." I raised an eyebrow, and he shook his head playfully.

"I'm joking. My mother is a dentist, so she's always pestering me about brushing and flossing… plus, she gives me free appointments." I giggled while he bit his lip, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

_Bloody hell Merida, keep it together… you only just met the guy!_

"Well, aren't you one of the lucky ones. My mother… well she doesn't exactly do much…" I said sadly, looking down.

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously, not aware of the how serious my problem was.

"I – I don't really wanna talk about it…" I said quickly, hoping to avoid that topic as much as possible.

"Oh, okay then…" He said, obviously unhappy with my answer. I could tell he was one of those people who wanted to know everything about everyone.

Suddenly, the bell rang. I checked my watch. It was 9:40, which meant I had to get to my next class, which was Social Studies.

"Wow, I guess time flies when you're having fun…" Jack said, giving me a dorky smile. I smiled back and adjusted my bracelets.

"What class do you have now?" I asked, and he looked up. I could tell he was thinking from the weird look on his face.

"Uh… I have… English, I think." He said, and looked at me. I could tell he wanted me to say I had English too, but I shrugged sadly and smiled.

"I have History." I said, and his face fell at my words.

"Well, that sucks. I guess I'll see you later, hopefully." He smiled and bit his lip.

"Yeah, hopefully." I grabbed my bag and started walking away, but turned to face him. "It was nice meeting you, Jack." He nodded and smiled happily.

"You too, Merida." And with that, I rushed out the gym and headed to English, and while I was walking, I realized something…

I was smiling, and it was because I was thinking of Jack.

_Anna's POV_

The bell rang and I immediately dug into my bag to search for the note Henry had given me. I found it and opened it cautiously, as if I was expecting something to jump out at me. When it was fully open, I read it.

_I just wanted to say stop being such a smart ass. _

_Sincerely, _

_Henry._

_P.S: But since you are a smart ass, here's my number: 083 283 2834._

_P.P.S: I gave you my number for two reasons. One, I need a tutor. And two, I could tell you wanted it._

I rolled my eyes at his dorkiness, but couldn't help giggle at his humor. I looked around the class, but I couldn't find him. I sighed and checked my schedule for my next class.

_Let's see… 9:45 – 10:40… Ah, English! My favorite!_

I smiled to myself and grabbed my things, heading out the door and practically skipping down the hallway.

_Henry's POV_

I was walking down the hallway with the biggest smile plastered on my face. And it was because I had the best time with Anna in Maths.

When we weren't writing down notes and listening to the important things, we spent the whole two periods sending notes to each other. We had a hard time controlling our laughter, and once in a while we would let out a little giggle or chuckle. It felt so good to have a friend beside Jack for once.

Jack and I met when we were just little kids. Our mothers were practically best friends, so we spent a lot of our time together. We were complete opposites, but you know what they say, opposites attract. We grew up together, so you could say we were pretty much brothers. We did almost everything together, and we were always causing trouble, so people starting calling us the 'Dangerous Duo'. We didn't mind though, we just thought of it as our trademark. Once we got older, we both got piercings and a tattoo. I had my ear piercings and dragon tattoo on my back, while he got his lip pierced and snowflakes tattooed on his inner wrist. It was our thing, we were the 'bad – boys' of High School.

But with Anna, I could tell it was gonna be different. I could tell that we were gonna be as close as Kyle & Lola from the movie LOL, except we weren't gonna mess around with each other. That would be super awkward, even though I thought she was beautiful.

I walked into the History classroom and found an empty seat by the window. I threw my books down on it and looked around to see if I could find any familiar faces, and I did. Heather, my childhood friend, was standing by the posters at the back of the room, inspecting them intently. I chuckled to myself.

_She had always been such a nerd._

I walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled brightly.

"Henry! Oh my gosh, it's been so long!" She said as she threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Yeah, too long for my taste." I said as I hugged her back. She pulled away and giggled.

"So how have you been? How was your summer?" She asked, and I fiddled with my hands.

"I've been okay, I guess. I'm still trying to get over… what happened…" I said sadly and she put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I wish I could do something to help." She said heavy – heartedly, giving me another brief hug. I smiled slightly at her compassion and pulled away. Before I could say anything, our teacher burst into the room.

"Take you seats! Take your seats everyone!" He yelled in a harsh voice, and everyone quickly hurried to their seats. "I am Mr. Mildew, your History teacher this year. Before we begin, I do have some rules. Rule number one: Do not speak while I am speaking. Rule number two: You will always do your assignments, no exceptions. Rule number three: I will not speed up, nor slow down for anyone. You work at my pace, not your own. And finally, rule number four: If you give me grief, I will _punish _you. Everyone got it?" he asked and the students mumbled a 'yes', "Good. Now, let's get some work done!"

I grabbed my textbook from my bag and opened it.

"Since this is History, can any of you name just of few of the major things that happened to America in the past?" Only a few hands were raised, mine included. He looked around and pointed at me.

"Yes?"

"Uh, the Civil War?" I said unsurely.

"Yes, that's definitely one of them." He said and returned to asking the other students. I sighed in relief and looked out the window. Eastwood was a massive school, and I had a view of the sport fields. There were two huge ones in the center, and two smaller ones surrounded them. The netball and basketball courts were in a huge building in the far right corner of the school. Eastwood offered six different sports: football, soccer, hockey, cricket, netball and basketball. I wasn't much of a sporty guy, so I wouldn't be trying out for any of them. Jack already said he wanted to try out for soccer team, considering whenever we played soccer together he would always kick my ass.

"So, please get into groups of two." Mr. Mildew said, bringing me back to reality. I realized that I hadn't been listening to anything he said, so I didn't know what was going on. I frantically searched the room for Heather, but when I saw her she was already sitting with a blonde girl. While I looked around the room, most people already had a partner. I sunk into my chair in defeat and started fiddling with my pencil when I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder. I looked up and my eyes almost fell out my head.

The girl standing above me had fiery red hair, but contrasting cerulean eyes. She was wearing a red Ramones Singlet top and blue denim shorts, which showed off her long, tan legs. A long sleeved checked blouse was tied around her waist and she was carrying a black sling bag. She had multiple rings and bracelets on.

"Do you have a partner?" She asked, and I shook my head. "Well, can we be partners?" I nodded my head in awe and she grabbed a chair and sat next to me, and she was so close I could smell her perfume.

"Does everyone have a partner?" Mr. Mildew asked, and everyone nodded their heads. "Good. Now, I hope you like your partner, because you will be doing a project with them." A few people moaned about there being a project, but he went on anyway. "It counts 40 marks, 20 for each of you. Your topic is 'The Civil War', and you will be writing a three – four page essay describing what happened, who was involved, and what the cause/effect was. And in case you were thinking of handing in a pile of rubbish, this mark will go towards your end of year report. Everyone got it?" The class mumbled a simper 'got it' and he went on. "I will give you the rest of the lesson to work on it. You may use your textbooks as a reference. Begin!" I checked the clock. It was 10:00, which meant we had forty minutes. I looked down at my textbook and started flipping through the pages on The Civil War.

"Well, someone's committed to their work." She teased, and I looked up.

"Well, this is my best subject. My father would always tell me stories about this stuff." I said, my face falling slightly.

"Would?" She asked, and I gave her a sad look.

"He died when I was ten years old." I said, and she immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked…." She said softly, and I gave her a heartfelt smile.

"No, it's not your fault, you didn't know." I said reassuringly. We sat in silence for a few minutes before she decided to speak up.

"We should, uh, get back to the project." She suggested, and I nodded. "I'm Merida, by the way." I looked at her and smiled.

_Merida… it fits her nicely…_

"I'm Henry." She smiled before looking down and writing notes. I looked at how angelic she looked, with the sun casting the perfect glow on her skin and the slight breeze flowing through her hair.

_Was I catching feelings already…? _

_Rapunzel's POV_

I was sitting in English when the boy from Chemistry walked in. He met my eyes and he smiled before walking over to me.

"C'mon, this is just destiny. I mean, we have TWO classes together. It was meant to be." He joked, and I couldn't help but giggle. "Ah, so she does have a sense of humor. I thought you were one of those quiet girls, you know, the ones that sit in the back of the class and look pretty." I blushed slightly at his compliment and shrugged.

"Well, you can't judge a book by its cover." I said, and he chuckled. He sat down in the seat next to me and I looked around.

"What? Is someone else sitting here?" He teased, and I gave him a worried look.

"No, it's just I was kinda saving that seat for my cousin. She's new and I don't want to leave her out." I said while playing with a strand of my hair. He sighed and started packing his things. "No no no no! I didn't mean you had to leave! I just meant – ugh, I ruin everything…" I said, my face falling into my hands. I heard him sit back down and felt him lean towards me.

"Hey, it's okay. You didn't ruin anything. I was just playing with you." He said softly, and I peeked through my fingers. "Now come out of your hiding spot." I giggled and looked at him, smiling softly. "Now, do you really want me to move?" I sighed in defeat and shook my head. I looked at the door and saw Anna, who seemed confused. I gave her an apologetic smile and she nodded, and I was glad she was so laid – back. She walked towards me and put her stuff on the table in front of me before turning on her seat and staring at him, as if to ask "_Who the hell is this guy?"_

"I'm Jack, just in case you were wondering." He said, smiling at both of us.

"I'm Anna, and this is Rapunzel. She's single, just in case _you_ were wondering." Anna said with a wink, and I felt my cheeks go red.

"Anna!" I shouted, punching her shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry, she's very up-and-front with people." I said quickly, and he chuckled.

"I can tell." He said and laughed. I laughed too, but my mother burst through the door before I could open my mouth to say something. Yeah, my mother was the English teacher.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" She said, putting her things on her desk. I sunk into my chair with embarrassment, and saw Anna do the same. Even though my mother wasn't _her_ mother, we just pretended she was. "I'm Mrs. Corona, your English teacher." She said with a sweet smile. "This term, we'll be doing Literature. To be more specific, Shakespeare. We will do his three most famous plays: Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. At the end of the term, you will get into groups and perform one scene from any of the three plays. If you wish to start getting into groups sooner rather than later, you're welcome to. But today we will do a little activity, so I need you to get your textbooks out."

I reached into my bag, expecting to find my textbook, but it wasn't there. I searched frantically through my bag, but to no avail. I panicked and started breathing heavily. Jack looked at me and I gave him a helpless look.

"I can't find my textbook." I whispered and he looked down at his. Without hesitation, he handed his it to me. I must've looked confused because he chuckled and placed it on my desk.

"You can use my textbook." He explained, but I shook my head and pushed it towards him.

"No, I can't. You'll get in trouble." I said, and he shrugged.

"I'm used to it." He said, and I gave him an unsure look. "Trust me." I sighed and grabbed it, going to the page we had to be on. I looked at him and smiled, mouthing a _thank you_. He smiled back and mouthed _you're welcome. _I looked down and continued writing the activity into my notebook, but I kept sneaking glances at him. I would smile brighter every time I did, feeling my stomach fill up with butterflies, and I couldn't help but wonder….

Is this what having a crush feels like?

_Merida's POV_

When the ball rang, I felt kinda disappointed. Part of me wanted to stay and get to know Henry more, but the other part wanted to leave and try to find Jack. I grabbed my things and stuffed them in my bag. I checked what lesson I had next.

_10: 45 – 11:40… Maths… Ugh, great…_

"So I was thinking we could maybe arrange some kinda –" Henry said, before noticing my upset face. "Is something wrong?" I shook my head and smiled.

"No, nothing's wrong, it's just I have Maths now, and I hate it with a passion." I joked, making both of us laugh. We walked out the door into the hallway, standing side-by-side.

"Actually, it's not that bad. The teacher is pretty laid – back, you know, if you stay on his good side." He said, and I smiled.

"Yeah, cause I'm such a good girl." I said sarcastically, gesturing to my outfit. He laughed and ruffled his hair.

"What do you have?" I asked, and he took his folded up schedule out his pocket. He unfolded it and checked what lessons he had.

"I have one period of French, and one of Geography." He said, and I pouted sadly.

"Well, see you at lunch?" I asked, and he grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, see you then!" He yelled as he pushed through students to get to French. I giggled and turned left towards the Maths classroom.

_Jack's POV_

When the bell rang, I stood up and packed my things into my bag. I turned around when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. Rapunzel was standing there, my textbook in her hand.

"Here you go, thanks for letting me use it." She said as I took it out her hands.

"Don't mention it." I said, making her blush and smile shyly. "What do you have next?"

"Maths. You?" I reached into my bag and pulled out my crumbled schedule.

"Uh, French, then Geography." I could see her face fall slightly at my words.

"That sucks. Well, do you wanna have lunch together? That is, with Anna, if that's okay." She asked, her cheeks still red. I grinned and nodded.

"Sure, but is it okay if my friend Henry joins us?" I asked, and she smiled brightly and nodded.

"That's fine. I'll see you at lunch then." She said happily and took her backpack before giving me a brief hug and running out the door. I was surprised by her sudden move, so I stood still for a few seconds. I regained myself when Anna walked up to me.

"Is it okay if I walk with you to French? I don't really know this school too well." She asked shyly, tucking a stray piece if hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, that's fine." I said, making her smile and grab my arm, practically yanking me out the room.

"So, you and Rapunzel…?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. I chuckled and shook my head.

"No, we're just friends." I said, ruffling my hair. She rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Then why did she hug you?" She asked again, and I chuckled at her perseverance.

"It was a friendly hug, I wasn't even expecting it." I said, but I could tell she was unsatisfied with my answer.

"That's what they all say." She said, letting go of my arm and letting hers sway by her side. I looked at her and smiled, stuffing my hands in my pockets. She reminded me of my sister, Emma, who was in seventh grade. They had the same bubbly personality, never ending energy and innocent charm.

I guess since she was like my little sister, I had to be like her older brother.

_Henry's POV_

I walked into the French classroom, not expecting to see Jack and Anna sitting together, deep in conversation. I chuckled and made my way towards them.

"Look at you two, aren't you just the perfect couple." I teased, and they both scooted away from each other. "I see you've met Frosty." I told Anna, gesturing towards Jack. She giggled and he shot me a death glare.

"Yeah, he's absolutely wonderful." She said sarcastically with a smile.

"I'm right here guys." He said, raising his hands. She stuck her tongue out at him and laughed before patting the seat next to her.

"I saved you a seat." She said sweetly, and I couldn't help but smile. I put my bag down and sat next to her.

"So, how was History?" She asked, and I suddenly thought of Merida.

"It was amazing." I said in awe, a huge grin plastered on my face. "I met another girl."

_Anna's POV_

"I met another girl."

I felt a knife stab me in the chest.

_Another girl? Was she beautiful? Of course she was, he looked absolutely awestruck. I should've known a guy like him wouldn't want a girl like me… I mean, what could I offer him? Studying advice? Let's face it, I'm never going to be one of the girls who gets the guy…_

I listened to him as he described how they met, what she looked like, what she smelt like, every little detail. I would occasionally give him a smile, but it was filled with pain. I couldn't believe I hadn't burst into tears.

"And I said she could have lunch with us. Is that alright?" He asked, and I just nodded my head sadly. I checked my watch. It was already 11:00. The French teacher was so late!

"Do you think we'll even have French today? I mean, the teacher is a no show." I asked the guys, and they just looked at each other and shrugged. Suddenly, the speakers came on.

"_Attention all French students, you're teacher, Ms. Gothel, is sick and will not be attending class today. That means you have a free lesson until 11:15. You may do whatever you like, as long as you stay in the French classroom and don't destroy/damage anything. That is all. Thank you."_

The whole class cheered and immediately starting going crazy. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I unlocked it and turned my data on.

"Is that the BlackBerry Z10?" Jack asked, and I nodded. "Is it any good? Cause I've been considering getting it once I get my upgrade in two weeks."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I like it." I said, giving him a thoughtful smile. He grinned back and I returned my attention back to my phone.

…

The rest of the day went by quickly. Lunch was okay I guess, I got to meet Merida, who was… intimidating, and Punzie and I got to catch up with each other. We had been informed that sports and cheerleading try outs would be held on Friday, which I had little interest in, so I wasn't looking forward to it. We all said goodbye and I couldn't wait to get home. Dinner was normal as usual, and we all talked about how our days went. Afterwards, I had a relaxing bath and slipped into my Minnie Mouse PJ's before getting into bed. I checked my phone and saw I had a message.

_Goodnight, sleep tight!_

_Punzie x_

I smiled and replied.

_Don't let the bed bugs bite!_

I could hear her giggle through the wall, and I grinned happily before switching my bedside lamp off and drifting off into a very peaceful, needed sleep.

**A/N: Yay, another chapter done! **

**Just a few more notes for you guys:**

**I really like the friendship Kyle & Lola have in LOL, so I'm sorta using that as inspiration for Anna and Henry. There won't be any romance between them…. for now *evil laugh*. If you haven't seen LOL, you should watch it, it's a really good movie.**

**Ramones Singlet is a band, for those who didn't know.**

**Anna and Jack's relationship, in case you couldn't tell, is going to be similar to a brotherly/sisterly relationship, so I can tell you there will be no Janna pairings in this fic. (I'm sorry if you ship it, maybe I'll write another fic for them.)**

**The pairings coming soon will either be Jarida or Mericcup, I haven't really decided, but I am leaning more towards Jarida. Like I said before, I don't want any hate because of whose being shipped. **

**I don't own any of the characters used in this fic, the only thing I own is the storyline. **

**Thanks for reading and I'm sorry if I left anything out! Please don't forget to favorite and follow as well as leave a review, it helps me out a lot! **


	4. Update 2

**Update 2**

**Hey everyone, I just wanted to apologize for not updating both my stories. My family has been going through a rough patch lately, so I've been involved in that. I'm sorry to say that because of these issues, I won't be uploading as much. Don't get me wrong, I will carry on writing, but you won't see any updates very often. **

**Thanks for understanding,**

**cookiemonster8830 xxx **


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